The Attacks on (Mainly Female) Journalists During l 7irak/Sawra

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HalaMadrid

Active Member

One of the more disturbing elements of any uprising is the attack on media, but particularly on women. Lebanon's October Movement has been no different. Even though protests have been largely peaceful and with women at the forefront in some places, it's undeniable that every female reporter has faced bullying, harassment, and borderline sexual violence. Rima Hamdan, Halimaa Tabiaa, Joyce Akiki, Nawal Berri, and many many others. Misogyny is alive and well, both in the formal parties and among the 7irak. Prominent protest-supporting men who were raising the profile of the female-led nature of the movement repeatedly justified the attacks on Rima Hamdan because of the outlet she works for. Similarly from the formal parties with the attacks on Nawal Berri and Joyce Akiki. Many of the justifications were among people under age 40. It's mind boggling. To their credit, women from both sides condemned it. My purpose in opening the thread is three-fold:

1 - to share and consolidate in one place videos of these incidents 2 - to discuss how we can begin to combat the prevalence of misogyny in Lebanon (and in our communities generally); and 3 - to serve as a resource for members and non-members and to preempt the coverage about this that will cover only one side of the spectrum

What I'm NOT really interested in is a discussion of the merits of the media outlets and their coverage because I think that puts us back in the same place of justifying violence against journalists and women, in particular, based on whether we like their point of view or not.

I welcome non-women members to contribute, and in particular to discuss point #2.

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Dynamis

Well-Known Member

One of the more disturbing elements of any uprising is the attack on media, but particularly on women. Lebanon's October Movement has been no different. Even though protests have been largely peaceful and with women at the forefront in some places, it's undeniable that every female reporter has faced bullying, harassment, and borderline sexual violence. Rima Hamdan, Halimaa Tabiaa, Joyce Akiki, Nawal Berri, and many many others. Misogyny is alive and well, both in the formal parties and among the 7irak. Prominent protest-supporting men who were raising the profile of the female-led nature of the movement repeatedly justified the attacks on Rima Hamdan because of the outlet she works for. Similarly from the formal parties with the attacks on Nawal Berri and Joyce Akiki. Many of the justifications were among people under age 40. It's mind boggling. To their credit, women from both sides condemned it. My purpose in opening the thread is three-fold:

1 - to share and consolidate in one place videos of these incidents 2 - to discuss how we can begin to combat the prevalence of misogyny in Lebanon (and in our communities generally); and 3 - to serve as a resource for members and non-members and to preempt the coverage about this that will cover only one side of the spectrum

What I'm NOT really interested in is a discussion of the merits of the media outlets and their coverage because I think that puts us back in the same place of justifying violence against journalists and women, in particular, based on whether we like their point of view or not.

I welcome non-women members to contribute, and in particular to discuss point #2.

ّTelefon Kasse

Member

NO ONE STANDS IN THE FACE OF PEOPLE'S RIGHTS !! WHEN YOU HAVE ANGRY PEOPLE DEMANDING FOR THEIR BASIC RIGHTS. YOU DON'T PISS THEM OFF !! JUST TO DO THE ROLE OF A BODY GUARD FOR YOUR EMPLOYER SECTARIAN POLITICIAN ELSE THE IMAGE FOR THE ANGRY PEOPLE BECOMES BLURRY AND THEY DON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN. WHAT STANDS IN FRONT OF THEM IS A DEFENDER OF THE CORRUPT REGIME AND THEY WILL RECEIVE THE SAME TREATMENT OF THE CORRUPT POLITICIAN THEY ARE DEFENDING ON TV

Iron Maiden

Paragon of Bacon

NO ONE STANDS IN THE FACE OF PEOPLE'S RIGHTS !! WHEN YOU HAVE ANGRY PEOPLE DEMANDING FOR THEIR BASIC RIGHTS. YOU DON'T PISS THEM OFF !! JUST TO DO THE ROLE OF A BODY GUARD FOR YOUR EMPLOYER SECTARIAN POLITICIAN ELSE THE IMAGE FOR THE ANGRY PEOPLE BECOMES BLURRY AND THEY DON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN. WHAT STANDS IN FRONT OF THEM IS A DEFENDER OF THE CORRUPT REGIME AND THEY WILL RECEIVE THE SAME TREATMENT OF THE CORRUPT POLITICIAN THEY ARE DEFENDING ON TV

Dr. Strangelove

Nuclear War Expert

Of the things which baffled me the most was seeing grown men insist on (platonically) kissing female reporters on air, either mid-interview or by sneaking up on them. Why in the world would anyone feel this kind of behaviour is okay?

Tayyar9

Legendary Member

NO ONE STANDS IN THE FACE OF PEOPLE'S RIGHTS !! WHEN YOU HAVE ANGRY PEOPLE DEMANDING FOR THEIR BASIC RIGHTS. YOU DON'T PISS THEM OFF !! JUST TO DO THE ROLE OF A BODY GUARD FOR YOUR EMPLOYER SECTARIAN POLITICIAN ELSE THE IMAGE FOR THE ANGRY PEOPLE BECOMES BLURRY AND THEY DON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN. WHAT STANDS IN FRONT OF THEM IS A DEFENDER OF THE CORRUPT REGIME AND THEY WILL RECEIVE THE SAME TREATMENT OF THE CORRUPT POLITICIAN THEY ARE DEFENDING ON TV

ّTelefon Kasse

Member

Of the things which baffled me the most was seeing grown men insist on (platonically) kissing female reporters on air, either mid-interview or by sneaking up on them. Why in the world would anyone feel this kind of behaviour is okay?

Active Member

HalaMadrid

Active Member

Of the things which baffled me the most was seeing grown men insist on (platonically) kissing female reporters on air, either mid-interview or by sneaking up on them. Why in the world would anyone feel this kind of behaviour is okay?

Yeah. This was particularly weird. Like when zein el omr did it to halima tabiaa then caught himself. I don't understand they're neither your pets nor your children. Does that need to be clarified to folks?

HalaMadrid

Active Member

Do approved threads have to be justified each time ta 7adder 7ale next time? The purpose is stated above. I suppose I thought the harassment and maltreatment of women in media deserved deeper conversation than just video shares in an updates thread. Perhaps about the systemic/representational issues that turn some people into misogynistic ****s when they encounter a woman they disagree with. Like, I really don't think Samir Sfeir would've been screaming "3ohr" at a male reporter like a goddamn lunatic and I don't think the men gesturing at Rima Hamdan would've done that to a (straight) male reporter. And I think it'd be fun (yikes) to discuss it with other Lebanese on these here interwebs. But maybe I'm wrong and this really isn't the space for it. Who says it isn't women-friendly

Separately, I know this is less relevant for members who mostly use this site conversationally, but the oroom often pops up as a top hit in a google search when looking for really niche Lebanon-related things. So I thought a thread would be a helpful one-stop-shop for those of us who usually use this site as that kind of resource.